By Antjuan Seawright, Columnist
The 24-hour news cycle can not only be exhausting, it can be used as a weapon of mass political distraction and destruction. Just look at the “HBCU Cuts” nonsense which has dominated so much of this past week’s public debate.
A few days ago, several articles were published reporting that the Biden administration had cut HBCU funding. According to Politifact, claims stemmed from an original social media post whose headline read “Biden Breaks Promise, Cuts $30B to Black Colleges & Universities.”
Of course, that claim was absolutely and provably false. But that didn’t stop the original post from sparking copycat social media posts and eventually finding its way into some traditional media accounts.
Unfortunately, when it comes to politics, it’s much easier to be upset than informed. So, both sadly and predictably, those articles and the original claims were shared, reposted, discussed and every single other thing you do with an article.
So we were bombarded by articles claiming that “Biden’s New Spending Plan Cuts HBCU Funding By $43 Billion” or “Funding For HBCUs Cut Significantly In Biden’s Spending Plan” or “Black colleges left behind by Biden budget reconciliation bill” creating clamour across the political ecosystem.
There was just one problem. It just wasn’t true. Neither President Biden nor the Biden Administration ever suggested cutting HBCU funding. No one had.
The truth is that President Biden understands that HBCUs are the fertilizer we need for our American soil. That’s why he has increased HBCU funding dramatically.
The facts are clear:
- The American Rescue Plan provided over $4 billion in relief funding to HBCUs, including providing roughly $1.6 billion in debt relief to 45 HBCUs earlier this year.
- The Department of Education awarded a total of $1 billion to build the capacity of institutions that serve large numbers of students of color and low-income students in FY21. $500 million of this funding went directly to HBCUs.
- President Biden’s FY 22 budget requests a total of $887 million for HBCU-specific funding in Higher Education Act (HEA) Title III funds (tripling mandatory Title III funding at the Department of Education).
- Under the FY22 budget request and the Build Back Better plan, President Biden has proposed $60 million to support teacher preparation programs at HBCUs and minority-serving institutions (MSIs).
- The President’s Build Back Better plan directs $2 billion toward building a pipeline of skilled health care workers with graduate degrees from HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.
- In addition, the Build Back Better plan provide tuition subsidies to students who attend HBCUs with a family income below $125,000 and includes $5 billion in new funding for HEA Title III and Title V which can be used by HBCUs, Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and MSIs to strengthen their academic, administrative, and fiscal capabilities.
These programs alone represent more than $14.5 billion in new HBCU funding. I’ll say that again: more than $14.5 billion in new funding. So where are the cuts?
Look, we know that a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth has time to put its pants on. However, we know better because, borrowing words from my political father Whip Clyburn, “We know Joe Biden and, more importantly, he knows us.
He also knows and understands that, when it comes to his commitment to the voting blocs that propelled him to the nomination and then to the presidency, there are no illusions. Sure, we could talk about all the remarkable things this administration has done for black voters in just eight months on the job. We could pontificate on his executive orders to promote racial equity and strengthen fair housing. We could map out how raising the Child Tax Credit reduces the plague of poverty destroying black neighborhoods and cuts child poverty in half, count all the times he’s fought to expand voting rights and detail how the remarkable diversity of his administration is breathing fresh air into many of our communities. However, all of those accomplishments would take weeks to unpack. Instead, we could remember the old southern carpenter’s rule: “Measure twice. Cut once.”
So, instead of rushing to share sensational headlines that promote half-truths and absolute falsehoods, let’s get all the facts. Let’s take President Biden’s full measure and, after we take a good look at all the good he’s done, let’s work together to do even more.
Antjuan Seawright is a Democratic political strategist, founder and CEO of Blueprint Strategy LLC, a CBS News political contributor, and a senior visiting fellow at Third Way. Follow him on Twitter @antjuansea.
